Michael Chang, Regional Manager at Synology Inc, tells Anita Joseph all about how the company is redefining data storage, access, protection and management with its cutting-edge products and solutions.
What is the theme of your participation at GITEX this year, and what are the key aspects you’re highlighting at the show?
This year at GITEX, we’re showcasing our comprehensive IT solutions that span edge, core, and cloud environments. We have set up four dedicated zones to emphasize different aspects of our offerings.
Enterprise Storage and Data Management:
The demand for data storage and management in enterprises has significantly increased with the emergence of new technologies like generative artificial intelligence. Synology is well-prepared to address high-performance requirements, including virtualization environments, big data analytics, and deep learning. We have expanded our portfolio to cater to enterprise scenarios, introducing the FS Series all-flash storage solutions for latency-sensitive workloads, the SA6400 for future expansion, and the HD6500 designed for PB-level storage needs.
In addition to expanding storage capacity, Synology is continually enhancing data security measures. The incorporation of the latest 7.2 version of DiskStation Manager empowers businesses with advanced tools like full-volume encryption and Immutable Snapshots, leveraging write once read many (WORM) technology to safeguard data from malicious attacks, tampering, and accidental deletions by creating an unalterable copy of their data.
Data Protection and Disaster Recovery Solutions:
We offer license-free backup solutions that support data backup across different platforms, including physical servers, virtual machines, PCs, Google Workspace, and M365, all through a single portal. This ensures that critical business data is regularly backed up and can be quickly restored in case of data loss or system failure.
We’re also excited to announce an innovative project focused on enhancing a streamlined data protection solutions for businesses. This project will be unveiled next year, so stay tuned!
End-to-End Smart Surveillance System:
Our end-to-end smart surveillance solution features from footage archiving, centralized video management system, to AI-powered cameras with high-quality, stable, 24/7 recording and built-in AI recognition enabling organizations to detect people, vehicles, and space intrusions. Additionally, the Deep Learning NVR Series enables businesses to perform advanced analytics including people & vehicle counting and facial recognition.
Cloud Solutions:
Synology’s secure C2 cloud infrastructure, which offers password management, backup and recovery, secure file sharing, identity and access management, and scalable object storage with S3 compatibility. These solutions are deeply integrated with Synology’s on-premises systems to create an efficient and reliable hybrid cloud infrastructure.
What are the challenges and opportunities in the ‘AI Everything’ landscape, and how do you aim to support organizations in this journey?
The ‘AI Everything’ landscape presents several challenges and opportunities for organizations, particularly in terms of their IT infrastructure:
Challenges:
Big Data Volume: AI applications require vast amounts of data. Efficiently managing, storing, and processing this data is a significant challenge, especially as data generation rates increase rapidly.
Performance Requirements: AI workloads demand high-speed data access and processing capabilities. Storage systems need to meet these performance demands without compromising latency.
Data Accessibility and Availability: Ensuring data is readily accessible for training and inferencing processes is crucial. This requires robust storage solutions that provide high availability and fault tolerance.
Data Security and Compliance: As AI applications often handle sensitive information, storage solutions must maintain robust security measures to protect data integrity and confidentiality.
As previously mentioned, Synology is well-prepared to address these challenges:
For Big Data Volume, our storage solutions, such as the SA6400 and HD6500, seamlessly scale as needed to meet the increasing demands of big data volume.
For Data Accessibility and Availability, Synology’s integrated backup solutions provide a robust framework for ensuring data accessibility and availability. This enables organizations to implement effective backup and disaster recovery plans, guaranteeing uninterrupted access to data even in the face of a disaster.
For Data Security and Compliance, Synology NAS ensures data security and compliance with global regulations like GDPR. We also employ robust security measures including access control, encryption, Write Once Read Many (WORM) Technology and maintain a dedicated Security Incidence Response Team (SIRT) for user data safety.
With over two decades of leadership in NAS technology, what technologies and future products are you working toward in the next stage?
Synology is committed to addressing the top three challenges faced by businesses in the upcoming years: “Access,” “Management” and “Protection.”
Flexible Accessibility: The demand for storage continues to grow, driven by AI and other data-centric applications. Synology will help businesses scale up their storage capacity efficiently while also enabling them to scale out their storage by integrating multi-platform resources to accommodate the flexibility of growing data
Management Simplicity: As organizations grow, data is exchanged between various locations. Synology will integrate single pane-of-glass management into our ecosystem to help businesses achieve operational simplicity.
Data Protection: In an evolving threat landscape, data security is crucial. Synology offers comprehensive backup solutions to safeguard business data, and we’re working on an exciting new project focused on streamlining data protection experiences for businesses.
Our solutions have already benefited over 50% of Fortune 500 businesses worldwide. Moving forward, we are eager to extend our support to more businesses in the Gulf region, helping them effectively manage and safeguard their data.
How important is an event like GITEX Global for your company – and how much value does it drive for your organization?
Over the years, we see great potential in the MEA market. Our YoY growth have achieved over 30%, and we are expecting more growth this year. Participating in regional iconic tradeshow like GITEX offers opportunity for us to present our enterprise-ready products and solutions to a diverse and international audience. It also allows us to receive direct feedback from our users which helps in validating our offerings and gaining insights into potential areas for improvement.
It is a great platform for enhancing our brand’s credibility and reinforces our position as an industry leader, and drive potential business opportunities.
